


Not A Deer

by Onehelluvapilot



Series: Febuwhump [14]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Accidents, Angry Merlin (Merlin), Gen, Hunters & Hunting, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Whump, with good reason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:59:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29140404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot
Summary: Gwaine and Elyan are hunting in the forest, but an otherwise nice day takes a turn for the worse when Gwaine shoots at something that turns out not to be a deer.
Relationships: Gwaine & Merlin (Merlin)
Series: Febuwhump [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134998
Comments: 2
Kudos: 68





	Not A Deer

**Author's Note:**

> betaed by LiGi, any remaining mistakes are mine

“There, I think I see something,” Gwaine hissed, pointing towards the movement behind some trees. It was a lovely spring day, and he and Elyan were out on a hunt. “Pass me the crossbow.” The other man, right beside him, passed over the weapon, and Gwaine carefully lined up the shot to the rustling bushes. He didn’t know what the animal was yet, but it definitely seemed bigger than a bird or squirrel. Maybe it was a turkey, or a deer. He considered trying to move to get a better view as he aimed, but he was worried that the hunting party moving would spook it and he would lose his chance to bring back fresh game for the castle. He just hoped it wasn’t a fawn; he would hate to kill a baby.

The cry that issued forth after he’d fired, before the twang of the crossbow had even faded, was not the bleated wail of a deer. It was a person’s scream, and a familiar one at that. Gwaine threw down the crossbow and ran towards it, paying no heed to the branches that whipped at his face. He broke through the bushes, and immediately felt sick. Merlin lay on the ground amidst the berries and herbs from his dropped basket, the crossbow bolt sticking out of his thigh. His slender fingers clutched at the dirt as he forced himself to sit up, not yet noticing the knight’s presence.

“Oh God, Merlin!” Gwaine shouted as he rushed over, dropping down to his knees beside his friend. He crushed several of the berries beneath his knees, and briefly prayed that they weren’t rare or particularly hard to find. Most of his prayers were devoted to their gatherer, however, who had forced himself to sit up. His face was split by a grimace, but his hands didn’t shake as he reached up to his neckerchief to untie it. The servant was disturbingly calm as he managed to get the knot on the bandana loose and bring it down to his leg. “Can I help? What do I do?” Gwaine asked, beginning to panic far more than the man he had actually shot. Oh Gods, he really had shot his best friend.

“Go find whoever did this,” Merlin ground out between clenched teeth as he looped the fabric under his thigh, just above the wound. “Rrrrrgh,” he groaned as he knotted it once and yanked the ends tight. Gwaine quickly took the two ends from him and tied the second half of the knot, so it would actually stay. He cursed himself as he pulled it tight, causing his friend even more pain.

“No need,” Elyan said, whom the other knight hadn’t even noticed arrive. “Gwaine did this.”

Instantly Merlin’s bright blue eyes turned on him, his attacker, with so much confusion and pain in them that he couldn’t bear it. He looked away, down at the wound. The crossbow bolt protruded just over an inch from his flesh, having embedded itself deeply. Of course it had. The weapons in Camelot’s armory were powerful. Pulling it out was going to be difficult, due to the lack of space to get a grip on it and the blood which would make it slick, but at least the quarrel wasn’t barbed, so they wouldn’t do more damage removing it.

“I didn’t mean it,” Gwaine said softly. “I’m so sorry. I thought you were a deer.”

“I’m most certainly not,” the servant barked at him, and the knight had to force himself not to flinch against the force of his anger. He deserved that, deserved every harsh word or insult of traitor or false friend that might be thrown at him. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you to look where you’re shooting?”

“You were hidden below the bushes,” Elyan defended him. “And we didn’t think anyone else would be out here.”

“You were wrong,” Merlin growled. “Gaius sent me out to collect herbs, and anyway, there would be any number of reasons for someone to be out here.”

“I’m sorry,” Gwaine murmured again. “So sorry.”

“Shit, I’ll scream at you later,” Merlin huffed. “Just get me back to Camelot, so Gaius can stitch me up.”

“Shouldn’t we take the bolt out first?” Gwaine asked.

“No!” he shouted, even louder than he had screamed when he was first hit. “What are you, stupid? Well, no, don’t answer that, you clearly are. Pulling it out will make it bleed far worse. Actually, give me your scarf,” he ordered Elyan, already reaching a hand out to receive it. He took the fabric and wrapped it around the base of the bolt before passing it under his thigh and around the shaft again.

“Do you want help?” Gwaine offered. It didn’t seem fair that Merlin had to take care of his own injuries, when he was always the one caring for them too.

“Not from you,” he growled as he tucked the end in. “You already shot me; don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

“Merlin, I didn’t mean it,” Gwaine said again, though he doubted it would help. The younger man just looked away, not meeting his eyes. He had a bad feeling that he would have already been sent away if they didn’t need him to help carry him back to Camelot.

“Help me stand up,” the servant instructed. Elyan stood first and took his offered hand to pull him to his feet, instantly pulling his arm around his shoulders to help keep him upright. He was enough shorter than Merlin that it was kind of awkward and not as helpful as it would have been to have Leon there, but they would make it work. They had to.

“Gwaine?” the knight prodded, looking down to where he still knelt.

“Should I try to pick some of these up?” he asked helplessly, gesturing to the spilled herbs and berries. “And is there anything you could take now to lessen the pain? I don’t want you to be hurting all the way home.” Though the knights would obviously try to take as much of his weight as possible, he would probably have to limp instead of trying to hop on his uninjured leg over the uneven terrain, and putting weight on his right thigh was going to be agony without anything to dull it.

“That’s actually not a terrible idea,” Merlin admitted. “Pass me some of that willow bark.” He pointed to the item required, since obviously he didn’t have a very high opinion of Gwaine’s intelligence right about now. The knight passed him a few shreds, which he raised to his mouth to chew on. His face split into a grimace almost as soon as they’d passed his lips. “Art ther v’ry least, their taste will distr’ct me,” he mumbled.

“And the rest of it?” There were leaves scattered all around, though Gwaine confessed he couldn’t differentiate what might be herbs from what was just fallen leaves from the bushes nearby, and the same thing with the berries.

“No, irt’s fine. Just gr’b the basket,” Merlin instructed. “You’re lucky I hadn’t gathered m’ch yet, or I would make you pick it up.”

“Mate, I’d be happy to do every herb gathering run from now to the end of time for you,” Gwaine said. That would be one way to start to make up for what he had done today. God, he could have  _ killed _ him. It was bad enough that he had hurt him, but at least the wound didn’t seem all that bad. He felt sick thinking of the possibilities, and wondered if he should ask the physician’s assistant if any of the herbs would help with that. But no, any nausea at the thought would be his penance. Part of it. He was going to take on all of the servant’s chores for a week to apologize. No, a month. However long it took for him to recover and then another two months after that.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Merlin replied as Gwaine slipped under his arm to help him walk home.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments/Kudos are always appreciated!


End file.
